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Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, as Congress returns to Washington this week, the deadline to avoid a partial lapse in government funding is fast approaching.

Without action by Friday, the country would face needless disruptions to agriculture, transportation, military construction, and essential services at the VA.

So I will say at the outset what I have said every time Congress has faced this threat: Shutting down the government is harmful to the country. And it never produces positive outcomes--on policy or politics.

What is more, a shutdown this week is entirely avoidable. The Senate passed full-year appropriations for each of these important areas 4 months ago, and our House colleagues have produced full-year legislation of their own. We have the means and just enough time this week to avoid a shutdown and to make serious headway on annual appropriations. But as always, the task at hand will require that everyone rows in the same direction: toward clean appropriations and away from poison pills.

Needless to say, millions of Americans will be watching carefully to see whether and how Congress fulfills its responsibilities this week.

American farmers and ranchers, like the Kentuckians visiting Washington this week, expect us to take the challenges they face in feeding our Nation seriously. Veterans who swore to protect and defend expect us to keep our promises to care for them when they return home. In the coming days, we will need to do just that.

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